Hot Chocolate
by VeryShortMidget
Summary: The one night. The perfect moment. Is that where is began? How Bulma and Vegeta found each other.


**Hot Chocolate**

It was one of those days... the sky was painted with sadness. Dark gray clouds covered the brilliant blue of the sky. It was as if the clouds were in mourning, maybe they had finally figured out that the blue sky would always conquer?

There was a distant rumbling, the cloud's spiteful hunger for power, it was keeping all the birds quiet and in hiding and all the small animals finding refuge in their burrows or nests. The air was electric. You could feel it, you could literally taste it.

Yet it was bitterly cold. The weather was making sure that it kept the happiness at bay. It was the kind of cold that soaked through your skin and pierced your bones. It was the kind of cold that you could not keep out even if you wore your warmest clothing. It was the kind of cold that made you feel like summer never existed.

Where was Bulma in the middle of all of this? She was walking through it of course! Bulma cursed under her breath when an eerie wind whipped an ice cold gust through her jacket. She could not wait to make it back to the lovely warmth of the house!

She had been at the lab, which was conveniently on the other side of the compound. What had her father been thinking! Putting logic aside, it was quite a far walking distance between the lab and the house. She wished that the house were right next to the lab! So what if they were working with machinery and material that could potentially blow up any second if the formula was incorrectly applied? Right?

Bulma hugged her jacket closer. She tried walking faster, but every time she tried, the wind seemed to have it in for her because it always gave a perfectly timed gust. Everything seemed to be going wrong today. As if sensing her thoughts, the gravity chamber came into view... well what was left of it.

Earlier that day, Vegeta had destroyed half of it and unfortunately, he had not been injured. Just her luck! He was like that annoying fly that you kept missing every time you went in for the kill with a fly swatter. It was just one problem after the other. If it was not half the gravity chamber missing in action, it would definitely be something else. It was so frustrating! Yet she kept fixing everything for him or she would make sure it was fixed by someone else. Why...?

Bulma sighed. She did not think she would ever get the answer to that question. The problem would be how? She had never had a decent conversation with Vegeta, for crying out loud, she hardly knew anything about him! Yet she was so ready to help him and she knew she would get nothing in return. Not even a thank you! If it were anyone else she would not have given them the light of day, but with Vegeta it was different.

Bulma sighed...again. At this rate she was going to get premature wrinkles. She could finally see the house. Her thoughts of Vegeta were replaced with warmth! She knew exactly what she wanted to do once she reached the house!

Bulma unlocked the front door. A wave of warmth immediately hit her as she stepped inside. She gave a small smile. This was the life!

"Hello I'm home! Anyone here?" When Bulma heard no reply she figured her parents were out for dinner or at a charity event.

She made her way to the living room and immediately got a fire going. Who needed a man anyway! Once the fire was going safely and the comfy sofa was positioned perfectly, she went to the kitchen and made herself hot chocolate. While she was waiting for the milk to heat up, her thoughts drifted again. Bulma wondered where Vegeta could be since the gravity chamber was not working. He was probably sleeping or something.

Bulma made her way back to the living room and relaxed into the sofa, cradling the hot chocolate between her cold hands, her eyes closed on their own accord.

"Where is mine, woman?" Well, that was the end of the hot chocolate.

"VEGETA!" Luckily, when Bulma had jumped at the sound of his voice, the hot chocolate had been thrown and it landed in the fire. Bulma could not help but giggle. It had been a long day. She turned to Vegeta and the look on his face made her giggle some more. He obviously expected her to be angry at him, so the look on his face was one of confusion.

"You are one weird woman, you know that?" Vegeta grunted, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well at least I am not grumpy and a loner." When there was no reply, they just stood there staring at each other. It made Bulma uncomfortable.

"I will go make us some hot chocolate." Bulma was out of the room faster than a cannonball out of a cannon.

She did not really expect Vegeta to be there when she got back, but she made hot chocolate for him anyway. He had not really spent any time with her or her parents, or with anyone for that matter.

She only raised her eyebrows when she saw him sitting on the sofa. Comfortably in the exact same spot that she had been sitting. So typical. She rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue. Behind his back of course.

Vegeta could sense that she was annoyed. Well it was pretty easy, considering she literally dropped the mug into his lap. He grabbed it without any of the hot liquid spilling, of course. He watched as Bulma sat down heavily next to him. She obviously was not going to be intimidated by him. Good, he needed something to entertain him considering the gravity chamber was still being repaired. They sat in silence for a while. He kind of liked it. Well whatever 'like' was supposed to mean, but he thought it was a close enough deduction.

He had been training intensely and non-stop. So sitting here in front of the fire with Bulma, was different. Then again, he had never just sat around and done nothing when he could be doing something productive, like become stronger.

He took a sip of the hot liquid that Bulma had made for them. It was actually very nice, he had never tasted anything like it.

"What is this?" Bulma's startled eyes met his. She obviously had never expected him to strike up a conversation with her. He smirked. It was the kind of smirk that only Vegeta could smirk.

"Um, it is hot chocolate." There was a lengthy pause and then she added, "Do you like it?"

He smirked. "Well compared to your cooking, I can say that I am pleasantly surprised." Bulma laughed at this. How come humans were the only species he had ever met that laughed at insults that were directed towards them?

"Well I am glad you like it." Bulma smiled at him. Her eyes sparkled in the fire's light. Her cheeks were rosy from the warmth. Her hair flowed, like a waterfall. Vegeta stopped mid-thought. Why was he comparing Bulma's hair to waterfalls? Maybe it was something in the air, or something in this drink. He eyed the drink suspiciously.

Bulma did not know how it happened or why it happened, but they continued talking. And boy, did they talk. At first the topics revolved mainly around stupid humans, food and technology, but then they broadened. Once they got past the whole human's are stupid beings who cannot protect themselves, the conversation flowed on to more serious topics and non-serious topics. You name it, they talked about it. They even talked about sheep. At first Bulma could not believe what was happening. Vegeta and her were being normal, they were talking and having intelligent conversation which was not fuelled by insults. He was being decent towards her! After a while though, it just felt natural and comfortable, like it was supposed to be this way. In a way it kind of felt like this was going to happen sooner or later, one day they would sit down and have an actual conversation, but never in a million years would Bulma have believed that today would be that day.

Bulma and Vegeta talked into the early hours of the morning. They heard her parents come in, happy and bubbly, but they went straight to bed, unbeknownst to them that Bulma and Vegeta were actually talking and being friendly. They probably would have both had a heart attack if they had seen it. It was just one of those things, that you would never expect yet there it is and usually in those situations, death follows.

"I think if I talk anymore, I am going to be all talked out for the rest of my life." Bulma finally said, which if you think about is quite a big feat considering it is Bulma we are talking about, and she saw Vegeta smirk. He was looking at her in a strange way. It was a look she had never seen before. They had bonded and Vegeta had let her see a side of him that he had shown very few people, had he even shown anyone this side of him? Thinking about this, it somehow in some way that made her feel special.

Vegeta could not stop looking at this woman. He could not believe they had talked so much. He could not believe he had exposed himself so. But he had to take every detail in. Her hair was ruffled, her eyes were heavy-lidded but happy, her lips delicate and deep down he knew he would be happy if he could see that every day. And if he was honest with himself, he did not regret tonight, at all.

They both got up off of the sofa. They were standing facing each other, suddenly both unsure of what to say. Bulma unexpectedly looked so shy.

"Well, goodnight...Vegeta."

"Goodnight." Bulma turned, ready to leave the magical night behind, but regretting that she did not take things further, she just did not have the courage.

Then she felt Vegeta's hand on her arm. She turned to look at him inquiringly, but she did not have the chance, his other hand cupped her cheek and he captured her lips with his.

Maybe it was something in the air or maybe it was that unbelievable night, the fire, the warmth, the hot chocolate that started the unbreakable bond between Bulma and Vegeta. When either of them wonder how it all started, they may think about that night. The fire, the warmth, the hot chocolate, and smile or smirk depending on who is doing the thinking, but whatever the case, deep down they know. They know that it was that night that began what they both knew they shared many years later... love.


End file.
